Analyse the ways that the director builds up suspense and scares the audience in the film JAWS

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Analyse the ways that the director builds up suspense and scares the audience in the film JAWS Jaws is an award winning film that was directed by Steven Spielberg and released by Universal Pictures. It is set on the 4th July and is about a small town called Massachusetts in USA where there is a very popular beach and as everyday life continues a catastrophe strikes. A shark has been attacking people, and by each innocent child who is eaten the people realise who much of a problem it is for the village and the beach tourism. 3 men: Brody, Quint and Hooper then set out to destroy the beast for the safety of the town. The significance of it being set on 4th July is because it is Independence Day so it is meant to be a day where everyone is free however it is the complete opposite; they are not free as they fear of the sharks actions. The music plays a significant role in keeping the thrill and horror in the film. ...read more.

Middle

Brody is shown looking in the water and a close up shot shows his facial expressions and how they are nervous. When the audience see this the also start to feel nervous. Then the camera comes back to Brody and is looking even more nervous and frightened. The audience cannot see what is happening and as there is a scream the audience are briefly fear for the worst. When the actual attack takes place a long shot is used to show the general panic and shows how powerful the characters think the shark is. At the end of the attack there is a sudden silence and a close up shot is shown on a yellow lilo to let the audience take in what has just happened. Camera angles are very important in making the audience scared and to create suspense. Camera angles show the expressions on peoples face and keep the audience thinking. Steven Spielberg frames the shark as being powerful and builds up fear for it. Music is used in many ways. ...read more.

Conclusion

We especially don't want to see any of Brody's family killed as we see Brody as a person who just wants to help and is caring for people's lives. At the end of the film Brody, Quint and Hooper set out on a boat to capture the shark. We see them on a small boat in the middle of the ocean; this gives the impression that they are helpless. The audience fear for them as they may be attacked by the dominant shark. For me the scariest moment is the second attack as Brody was looking nervous and looking out to the water and I then felt that something bad is going to happen. I saw children playing and a boy innocently singing so I didn't want them to be harmed. Brody's son was also in the water and is a nice character that is helpless and dependent on his parents so I feared for him. Just before the attack there was a happy atmosphere however that all suddenly changed to the attack. This frightened me as it was so unexpected. At the end the pause and silence highlighted the extent of the attack. ?? ?? ?? ?? ...read more.

Related GCSE Audience and Production Analysis essays

bag etc...The colour and lighting worked well with sound and the camera angles; the colour of the room in contrast with the outside world was really good. It enabled us as the viewers to see where the birds had broken through from their world and into ours.

With the audience already knowing that this film is about sharks, they are now expecting to see a shark attack in this scene. They are now wondering who it will be that will get attacked and as the tracking shot continues across the group it stops on one man who

She attempts to pull away from the force grabbing her by holding on to the sturdy buoy, however she is grabbed back, showing the attacker's strength. The waves subside; we can hear silence. The silence alludes to her death and makes a clear distinction from the dramatic noises previously heard.

Dracula is so religious that he has turned his home in to a church. This may make the audience actually think of him as a good person. Over all at the start of the film his home is set out very religiously, it basically looks like a church.

represents the presence of Darth Vader. As the music becomes louder and faster, the audience become more and more wary that something is going to happen, in short how tension is created. As soon as the music has stopped, the audience is introduced to a group of teenagers.

There were a lot of people on the beach and it was the peak holiday season. The shark, a dead man, Brody's son in shock, the blood, they all have an effect on the viewer. This terrifies the viewer because the shark swims right past Brody's son and the viewer knows he is a main character.

and the young man with the dog is looking for his dog, the audience might have thought the shark would soon appear but the audience does not see the shark. Spielberg also uses silence to build up tension. After the first attack in the film there was silence the girl

of war seem to be plaguing him in a way that makes him very distressed: his lip is gently quivering and his whole face seems to be trembling as if he is trying not to cry. As the close-up increases, you can see that his eyes seem to sparkle with